Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brooklyn, NY and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY, rent and utilities included – about $31,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

216

Cost of Living Index in Brooklyn, NY
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Brooklyn, NY Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Brooklyn, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,437

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brooklyn, NY and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Brooklyn, NY and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,437 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $4,437
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $6,601 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $6,601
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $8,766 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $8,766
Nosara $3,712

Brooklyn, NY costs about 141% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brooklyn, NY and Nosara sit above the global median – Brooklyn, NY by 231%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.72 $19.72

$12.22 ₡5,509

61.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 $106

$60.2 ₡27.1K

76.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$7.54 ₡3,399

58.49%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.31 ₡1,941

31.09%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.72 ₡773

47.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.35 ₡608

65.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.10 $8.10

$3.24 ₡1,459

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.81 $8.81

$4.48 ₡2,018

96.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.57 ₡707

7.01%

White Bread (500g)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.17 ₡1,429

48.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.28 $7.28

$2.42 ₡1,091

200.83%

Eggs

$6.48 $6.48

$3.57 ₡1,609

81.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.24 $16.24

$7.43 ₡3,349

118.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.15 $17.15

$10.42 ₡4,697

64.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.76 $19.76

$13.66 ₡6,156

44.66%

Apples (1kg)

$8.10 $8.10

$2.32 ₡1,044

249.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.61 ₡728

136.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$4.74 ₡2,138

13.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$1.66 ₡747

253.61%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.72 ₡1,679

7.80%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.57 ₡1,611

33.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.10 ₡497

132.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.55 ₡1,149

-3.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.90 $14.90

$4.95 ₡2,232

201.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.71 $20.71

$20.01 ₡9,020

3.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.79 ₡1,256

-5.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.53 ₡1,589

-4.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.19 ₡537

157.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$151 $151

$72.1 ₡32.5K

109.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.24 ₡1,011

35.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.55 ₡701

41.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.16 $42.16

$8.86 ₡3,993

375.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.57 ₡708

-26.75%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.0K $35.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

60.55%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.34%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$244 $244

$93.5 ₡42.1K

161.01%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$61.5 $61.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

75.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.2 $61.2

$51.5 ₡23.2K

18.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$107 $107

$71.4 ₡32.2K

49.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.20 $35.20

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-0.68%

Cinema Ticket

$20.29 $20.29

$7.84 ₡3,535

158.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,646 $2,646

$490 ₡220.7K

440.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.3K $34.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

188.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 $70.0

$53.5 ₡24.1K

30.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.4 $76.4

$55.8 ₡25.1K

36.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$79.3 ₡35.7K

50.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$78.9 ₡35.6K

55.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,711 $3,711

$786 ₡354.3K

372.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 $2,694

$780 ₡351.6K

245.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,368 $7,368

$3,860 ₡1.7M

90.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,813 $4,813

$1,407 ₡634.4K

242.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K $13.4K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

92.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,757 $7,757

$1,201 ₡541.3K

546.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,661 $3,661

$876 ₡395.0K

317.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Brooklyn, NY: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Brooklyn, NY

$2.7K 60.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 71.1% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Brooklyn, NY

$550 12.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 36.4% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brooklyn, NY

$367 8.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 50.9% $187

Eating Out

Brooklyn, NY

$339 7.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 38.1% $129

Getting Around

Brooklyn, NY

$177 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 51% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Brooklyn, NY

$175 3.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 31.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Brooklyn, NY

$147 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 40.9% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,711 in Brooklyn, NY versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 318% higher in Brooklyn, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $106 in Brooklyn, NY versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $550 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brooklyn, NY

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

23:31 11:31 PM

2 h behind Brooklyn, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,736,074

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brooklyn, NY Nosara 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Brooklyn, NY
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Brooklyn, NY vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 141% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,655 per month in Brooklyn, NY and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $106 in Brooklyn, NY and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 141%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Brooklyn, NY at $4,437. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brooklyn, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Brooklyn, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brooklyn, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.